Below is a list of the Foundational Family Services workshop topics that are presented throughout the year.
If you see a topic that is not currently scheduled OR if there is another topic you would like to learn more about, email FFS [at] tvcc.on.ca (FFS[at]tvcc[dot]on[dot]ca) to let us know.
*NEW* What Is Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)?
So, you’ve heard about this thing called “ABA” – with that you may have started to hear about what it is, how it works and why it may or may not be helpful for you and/or your child. Join us for this 1-hour virtual presentation where we will help you get to know ABA better and have some of your questions answered.
In this presentation we will:
- provide a brief introduction to Today’s ABA
- discuss how we use ABA to support children, youth and their families in everyday life
- introduce the relationship between behaviour and the environment that is the basis of ABA, and
- explore common examples where ABA can be helpful in your home, community and daily activities.
A Parent Education Series: Foundational Strategies in ABA
This education series is for parents and caregivers whose children are registered in Core Clinical Services, Entry To School or Caregiver-Mediate Early Years programs. If your child is about to start, is currently in, or has recently finished a treatment plan with Autism & Behavioural Services, this series is for you.
Join us weekly for a 30-minute virtual education session where you will learn foundational principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). You can attend 15 minutes before to review the previous topic and/or stay for 15 minutes after each session to ask questions. Come to learn some new tools to support your child’s ongoing learning.
This series runs for 8 weeks. Examples of topics include finding motivation, increasing cooperation, relationship management, and much more.
Autism Diagnosis: Now What?
Did your child or youth recently receive a diagnosis of autism? Although autism doesn’t define your child, you probably want to know how to support them to succeed. We will teach you proven strategies to help with communication, sensory needs, behaviours, social interaction and transitions as these are some areas that may be difficult for your child/youth.
Let us prepare you with a toolkit of ideas to help your child/youth be at their best!
Autism & Behavioural Services at TVCC for Families
As the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) evolves, Autism & Behavioural Services (ABS) at TVCC is evolving too! Join our interactive virtual presentation to get the latest information about all of the ABS programs that TVCC offers:
- Foundational Family Services
- Caregiver-Mediated Early Years
- Entry to School
- Core Clinical Services
We will have answers to questions like: Who is eligible for ABS programs? How do I register my child? What can I expect within each program? How can I prepare myself and my child to participate in ABS programs?
This virtual session is for parents and caregivers of children and youth diagnosed with Autism.
Note, this session is presented quarterly and is updated as our services change over time.
Autism & Behavioural Services at TVCC for Professionals
As the Ontario Autism Program (OAP) evolves, TVCC's Autism & Behavioural Services (ABS) is evolving as well. This virtual session is for professionals across all disciplines who support families of children and youth diagnosed with Autism. Are you a professional who wants to know what is going on? Join the Program Coordinators and Family Liaison from ABS to get the latest information.
We will have answers to questions like: What is the OAP? Do my clients/patients need to register in the OAP? What is the difference between ABS at TVCC and the OAP? What does ABS look like at TVCC? Who is eligible for different programs within ABS? How can you help families get registered? Why do we use SO MANY acronyms?!?
Join us on Microsoft TEAMS - and bring your questions!
Note, this session is presented quarterly and is updated as our services change over time.
Building Skills Through Play
Play activities teach a lot of important skills that go beyond just, “how to play”. Play can teach creativity, social skills, problem-solving, language and communication skills - just to name a few. In this presentation, parents and caregivers will learn about the different stages of play, as well as how to model and prompt play skills. The strategies discussed will explore how children can learn from each other, and how you can “fill in” when other children are not available.
Caring For You - an "ACT" based series
Focusing on yourself can be difficult. This is especially true when you are parenting a child with disabilities. As the saying goes, "you can't pour from an empty cup". This 4-part workshop series is designed to help you identify what's in your cup and will teach you simple ways to refill your cup within your own daily activities.
We will use ACT-based strategies to help you become more present with yourself and help you move toward the things that matter most to you. Each session will include simple activities that build on the previous lesson. Everything introduced in this series will be broken into small, manageable steps that fit your busy lifestyle.
*NEW* Caring For You - express edition
This Caring For You "Express" version is condensed from our original 4-part series. Join us for this 1-hour presentation designed to help you start to build habits and routines to be energized and de-stressed in a busy schedule.
Communication Across the Day
Presented by a Speech-Language Pathologist and Family & Community Consultant, this virtual one-hour presentation is designed for parents and caregivers of children who are non-verbal, pre-verbal, or those with emerging language. We will focus on communication development for children with autism, but all parents or professionals are welcome to join.
This presentation includes many communication forms: using symbols, gestures, sign language, assistive technology, and speaking. It is also suitable for children who do not yet use any communication methods.
Participants will learn practical ways to practice and strengthen communication, how to find the best starting point, and how to set realistic goals for children. We will also include ways to help children WANT to communicate with others and have FUN doing it!
Cooperation 101
Do you find yourself repeating things over and over? Does your child say "NO!" or ignore your simple requests? Join us for a live webinar and learn how to turn "no!" into "yes!".
Building cooperation is one of the first steps in teaching children new skills and reducing problem behaviours. A child who is willing and listening is better prepared to learn and experience new things in all settings.
Emotional Regulation
Many families struggle with meltdowns, tantrums, and emotional outbursts. Children and youth (and adults!) need emotional regulation strategies to cope with big feelings and suggestions on ways to recover when things become "too much". Children/youth with autism often need additional help learning these strategies!
This presentation will explain to parents of children and youth with autism what emotional regulation means as well as learn some proven techniques to cope in a variety of settings.
Keeping Runners Safe: Safety & Autism
Welcome to "Keeping Runners Safe – Safety and Autism", an interactive presentation delivered in partnership with Autism Ontario and Autism & Behavioural Services. This virtual, one-hour presentation is designed for parents and caregivers of children who would like to identify risks, prepare for those risks and make a plan to teach. The presentation will focus on children with autism, but all parents or professionals are welcome to join. This presentation is suitable for all ages and abilities but does focus on high risk individuals and situations. We will provide a checklist that will help you start to assess potential risks and we will identify where to go to set up a safety plan specific to your child.
Making Difficult Events Easier
Certain situations can be more challenging than others for children and youth with autism. Perhaps they don’t understand what is expected of them, or they don’t know what will happen next. It could also be that some part of the environment is uncomfortable for them (e.g., lighting, sounds, or smells). There are many factors that can turn a "regular event" into a "difficult event". We know that "difficult events" can happen at any time and can be stressful for children as well as parents and caregivers.
During this presentation, you will learn strategies, like building in cues or prompts, and how to prepare ahead of time, to make these difficult situations more successful. A Family & Community Consultant will lead the discussion and you will have the opportunity to ask questions, learn from others and share your experiences.
*NEW* the Power of Motivation (formerly Motivation 101)
Children and youth with autism often have highly focused or unique areas of interest. This can make it hard to find ways to motivate and engage with them. In this refreshed and updated presentation, we will introduce PRT® and focus on one of the most pivotal areas of childhood development – motivation! You will learn why it is so important to find motivation and how to use your child’s motivation to unlock their learning and engagement in daily activities!
** Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT®) focuses on the power of using motivation to teach new skills in positive, natural and fun ways.
*NEW* Relationship Building - Circles®
Are you a parent looking to support your child or youth's understanding of social relationships, boundaries and interpersonal skills? This presentation is based on the Circles® curriculum of relationships!
Circles® offers a child-friendly approach to understanding different social groups and the social boundaries within different types of relationships (i.e., social circles we have with friends, close family, acquaintances, and strangers). Join us for this virtual presentation to learn how to help your child or youth to better understand and manage social relationships.
Sleep… How to Help Your Child Get More
Does your child or youth go to bed late, wake up early, wake up throughout the night or not cooperate with bedtime routines? This presentation is designed for parents/caregivers of children or youth with disabilities. We will cover the most common sleep problems, help you create a personalized and do-able bedtime routine, talk about a Sleep Log and teach you practical approaches to help your child sleep better, regardless of the sleep problem they are having!
Successful Social Skills and Autism
Children and youth with ASD benefit from direct teaching and practice with social skills. How can you do that, especially right now during a time when many social activities aren't happening? Join us for Successful Social Skills and Autism, which will provide practical ways to teach and practice social skills with your child or youth with autism, even when our social circles are smaller than usual.
Toilet Training 101
A webinar for parents/caregivers and community and therapists supporting children/youth with special needs who have started or are considering starting toilet training. This workshop is also for those who are experiencing challenges with any part of toilet training. Join us to better understand the many parts of toilet training and for help deciding if your child is ready for this step. The presenter will discuss common toileting challenges, offer practical solutions and share resources. As a group, participants will have a chance to ask their own questions as well.
Toilet Troubleshooting: Learning About Leaks
A presentation designed to help parents and caregivers learn ways to help their child/youth (5+ years old) achieve independence and confidence with better bladder control. This is for parents and caregivers of children who have struggled with toilet training.
This Foundational Family Service is offered in partnership with the new TVCC Continence Clinic. You will have a chance to share your experiences and ask questions of the Pediatric Physiotherapist, Registered Nurse, and Family & Community Consultant guiding you through why toileting leaks happen, how to avoid them, and what to do when they occur.
Learning About Leaks is for you if your child/youth is 5+ years old and has tried to toilet train without success, has pee accidents, sometimes leaks before getting to the toilet, has urgency to use the washroom, has little leaks in their underwear throughout the day, and wets the bed.
Toilet Troubleshooting: Tackling Constipation
Part 2 of our Toilet Troubleshooting series focuses on learning about some of the common challenges and struggles related to bladder and/or bowel training for children and youth. In this presentation, parents and caregivers will learn about what constipation is, why it happens and ways to help their child/youth poop with greater ease and more regularity.
This Foundational Family Service is offered in partnership with the TVCC Continence Clinic. Participants will have a chance to share experiences and ask questions of the Pediatric Physiotherapist, Pediatric Registered Nurse, and Family & Community Consultant guiding the discussion.
Tackling Constipation is for you if your child/youth has any of the following: irregular, hard or very soft stools; smears in their underwear; discomfort while pooping; or holding their bowels for periods of time.
Understanding Challenging Behaviour - Part 1 an Introduction
Sometimes children and youth with autism have challenging behaviours and, as a parent, it can be hard to know what to do about it. Your child's disruptive behaviours may interfere with their daily activities and you may worry that they'll hurt themselves or others. These behaviours can certainly test a parent's patience!
Understanding Challenging Behaviour is an introduction into why people behave the way they do. This presentation will explore ways to understand why your child may struggle and what you can do to help.
*NEW* Understanding Challenging Behaviour - Part 2 "How To..."
Understanding Challenging Behaviour - PART 1 introduced concepts about WHY people behave the way they do. You learned that ALL behaviour happens for a reason, and you learned ways to support your child when they are struggling.
Understanding Challenging Behaviour - PART 2 shares practical strategies for HOW TO reduce challenging behaviour and HOW TO encourage positive behaviour patterns. These strategies can help keep your child safer in new situations, make the hardest parts of your day go more smoothly, and reduce the possibility of harm to your child and others.
*NEW* What's Going On? An Intro to Puberty and Sexuality
Puberty is a time of change which can often leave parents (and teenagers!) confused and frustrated.
This presentation will teach you how to use behavioural strategies to prepare for and minimize the puberty challenges for teens with autism. We will also discuss how to talk about sexuality with your pre-teens and teens.
